Poor Quality Sex Talk Putting Sexual Health In Peril
A new survey released today suggests as many as one in ten people (11%) don’t realise that a woman can still get pregnant if she has sex standing up.
Other findings from the Populus nationwide survey of 2,000 young people and adults highlight a worrying mixture of unreliable advice, poor communication, an inability to say what’s on our minds, and disturbing misconceptions about subjects ranging from sexually transmitted infections (STIs) to contraceptive choices.
Experts are concerned that this alarming combination could be fuelling unsafe sexual practices and preventing us from having safer sex and better relationships.
The results, produced on behalf of the Department of Health and the Department for Children, Schools and Families reveal:
· A quarter (26%) of people never discuss contraception and almost a third (31%) never discuss sexual health with their partner
· One fifth (21%) talk about sex without ever really saying what they want to say
· One fifth (19%) of young people and adults do not know that a woman can get pregnant if she has sex during her period
· The same number (19%) do not realise it is possible for a woman to get pregnant if the man withdraws before ejaculation
· Almost a fifth (17%) do not realise that some sexually transmitted infections (STIs) can’t be cleared-up with antibiotics (such as Herpes and genital warts)
The findings suggest that, despite a clear lack of knowledge, we don’t hold back from dishing out guidance to others. In fact, if asked by a friend for advice on a sex or sexual health dilemma, more than three quarters of respondents (77%) said they would give it, even if they were unsure if their facts were right.
When talking about sex, 85% agreed it is no longer a taboo topic but it appears that, as a nation, we’re still red-faced about it.
Sex and relationship expert Dr Pam Spurr also suggests that our approach to sex talk often prevents people from having open, honest and mature conversations about topics they’d like to discuss more with 62% of people preferring to turn discussions into a joke.
A significant number of survey respondents are struggling to get the advice they need from popular, informal sources of information, with almost half (47%) of those surveyed never discussing sexual health with friends and more than a third (37%) never discussing contraception.
Sex and relationships expert Dr Pam Spurr said: "In spite of our love of talking about sex and relationships, the survey suggests it’s our lack of knowledge that is causing confusion.
"I’m encouraged to see that we’ve overcome a long held aversion to talking about sex, but we’ve still got some way to go before we swap jokes and banter for the open, honest and informed conversations about sexual health and relationships that most of us would like."
Although teenage pregnancy rates are in decline, with teenage births at their lowest level for more than 15 years, the survey suggests that this combination of bad advice, misinformation and poor quality conversations is hindering further progress.
There is a clear demand however for more meaningful conversations large numbers of respondents admit they are missing out on the sorts of conversations they aspire to:
· Nearly a third (27%) admit to being too embarrassed to ask questions they’d like to
· One in four (25%) wish they could talk more openly about sex and relationships
Commenting on the findings, Dr Pam Spurr said "Having a culture of openness, honesty and respect, as the experience in the Netherlands shows, helps build knowledge and raise awareness leading to the right type of conversations and positive patterns of behaviour."
tagged in Sexual Health